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The upcoming 3rd South African Nurses’ Conference looks set to tackle the contemporary nursing issues and policies, including identifying the role and scope of nurses in tackling the newly-adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by United Nations General Assembly as the post-2015 global agenda.

The conference will further assess the progress of the country towards National Health Insurance (NHI) and the role of nurses, as well as to look into the integration of traditional medical practitioners into the comprehensive healthcare system in the context of providing universal health coverage. Severe shortage of nurses in the country will come under the spotlight, as nurses have had to work with half the staff complements in many institutions.

Held under the theme: ‘Together we can strengthen the nursing theory and the practice landscape,’ the conference will be held from 24-26 February 2016 at Birchwood Hotel in Benoni and will see more than 2000 nurses from all corners of the country converging under one roof tackling matters of relevance to health policies, nursing practice, education and professional development.

The conference, which is held bi-annually, is organised by DENOSA Professional Institute (DPI), a professional wing of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA).

Nurses of all sectors, categories and levels of practice will be divided into five different discussion commissions, under the guidance of seasoned nurse leaders and veterans from the academia, regulatory body, labour and government. The five discussion commissions are:
- Advancing Holistic Nursing Practice
- Contemporary Nursing Issues
- Investing in Nursing – The Human Capital in Health
- The Trashing floor: Teaching and Learning
- Students voice as the rising nurse leaders

The conference has proven to be a unique platform where policy formulators and implementers meet under one roof to clarify matters of ambiguity. The previous conference saw Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, the then Minister of Public Service and Administration, Lindiwe Sisulu, as well as MEC of Health in North West province, Magome Masike, gracing the conference with their presence and taking to the platform to provide answers and update on matters that concern all departments.
Student nurses will also add their voice at the conference about their experience of rejection, given the latest developments where provincial departments have not absorbed community service nurses due to lack of funding. The conference will also discuss unilateral moratoriums by various provincial governments in filling of vacant positions.

Other issues to be discussed at the conference include the proposed move of nursing education to the Department of Higher Education and Training from the custodianship of the Department of Health in line with the Nursing Strategy and the implications of this for nurse educators and student nurses as well as career path going forward.

For more details on the conference, nurses can visit the conference website: www.sanursesconference.co.za or contact DENOSA Professional Institute (DPI) on 012 343 2315.

Issued by DENOSA Professional Institute (DPI)